gewgaw wrote on 11/17/10 at 13:05:56:


I think I reached my peak at about the same age and rating as you. I stopped
playing for a few years, and when I came back, my ELO rating (or should I say Ego rating ) dropped
by nearly 200 points, and yes, I made all those blunders. 

I'm not sure I can really answer why I like playing regardless of that.

Maybe...

1. A great community, both online and at clubs/tournaments.
2. An activity look forward to still playing in my retirement.
3. A legal high from I think a combination of dopamine/addrenalin without physical risk.
4. An enjoyment of study. At a recent tournament, someone told me the bit they hated about
chess was playing it. But they liked studying it.
5. An enjoyment of following the top games.

I've all but given up on reaching the next rating plateau. I've also semi-retired from tournament chess. But there are still some annual tournaments that I will attend because I like to see my friends and have very positive memories of those specific tournaments!

I've also learned to love online chess. I've learned to play correspondence chess, which is giving  me the confidence to play openings I never tried before. While I know that my calculating skills aren't as good as they once were, I am enjoying playing sharper openings, even in blitz and bullet chess.   

My goals in chess may have changed, but my enjoyment of the game is still very much alive.   

Then again, this question could also be asked of life in general, and not just chess!

Hi all,

I´ve a question to those, who reached their peak, but still play on chess. What´s your motivation to play on, in spite of the fact, that your strength is deteriorating and you make more and more ridiculous blunder, which shake your head during and after the game?
I´m in my 30´s and recently reached 2150 and feel this is my peak, if I play on, it´s just a fight against the inevitable decline. Of course you can argue as an amateur you play just for fun, but this is not my point.